September 10, 2010

Liquor.com is hosting another Spirited Supper; this one is The Modernists, with chefs Elizabeth Falkner and Dominique Crenn, and will be hosted at Orson. The aperitif will start at 6:30pm in the bar, featuring an amuse and a cocktail made with Belvedere. Dinner will follow in the dining room. Here’s the menu (EF is Elizabeth Falkner, DC is Dominique Crenn):

One of my favorite people to learn about wine from, Evan Goldstein will be at Omnivore Books on Thursday September 16th talking about his new book, Daring Pairings: A Master Sommelier Matches Distinctive Wines with Recipes from his Favorite Chefs. He’ll be there from 6pm-7pm, and you know there will be some tastings!

Ladies and gentlemen, prepare thy livers. ~SAN FRANCISCO COCKTAIL WEEK~ returns, with a slew of events running from September 21st through the 27th.

The official kick-off of Cocktail Week 2010 is the inauguration of the Boothby Center for the Beverage Arts on Tuesday September 21st, built by the Barbary Coast Conservancy of the American Cocktail (BCCAC) as a new home base for both the organization and beverage culture in San Francisco. 6pm-8pm. $25 per person. (Ticket includes cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.) 1161 Mission Street, Suite 120.

“That Time of the Month” After Party
9pm to closing
Four of San Francisco’s best female bartenders are behind the stick for the night: Brooke Arthur (Prospect), Jill Webster (Laszlo/Rye), Amanda Washington (Rye), and special guest Anu Apte from Seattle (Rob Roy). A portion of all cocktail sales will go to the burn unit at St. Francis Memorial Hospital. Free admission; no-host bar. Laszlo Bar, 2526 Mission St.

Wednesday September 22nd
Strange Bed-Fellows: An Exploration in Ham, Oysters, and Malt
1pm-2:30pm
Chef Ray England teams up with whisky-men Robin Coupar and Neyah White to present a series of seemingly un-likely combos. Oysters and Islay Single Malt? Japanese Whisky and cheese? Sherry finished malt and ham? $30 per person. (Ticket includes beverages and a light lunch.) Hog & Rocks, 3431 19th St.

Farmers Market Happy Hour
6pm-8pm
The country’s first market-inspired happy hour is back at the Ferry Building! Featuring the City’s best farm-to-table bars, the evening benefits the BCCAC and Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA). Enjoy bites from six San Francisco restaurants, including 15 Romolo, Comstock Saloon, 4505 Meats, Plant Café Organic, and Hog & Rocks, grape spirit-based creations by 12 talented bartenders, and tunes by DJ B Love. $40 per person. (Ticket includes cocktail tastes and hors d’oeuvres.) CUESA Kitchen at the Ferry Building Marketplace.

“Rose City” After Party
9pm-12am
Behind the bar for one night only at Cantina, San Francisco welcomes two of the best bartenders in Portland, Oregon, Dave Shenaut and Ricky Gomez of Teardrop Cocktail Lounge located in the heart of the Rose City’s Pearl District. Free admission; no-host bar. Cantina Bar, 580 Sutter St.

Thursday September 23rd
Ragtag Rabble Gaming Soirée
8pm-12am
Games of chance such as craps, blackjack, roulette, and poker played out by dealers dressed in ye olde Barbary Coast-era attire! The Burritt Room will be littered with bars and ragtag tables, along with Cocktail Lab’s signature innovations of classic, turn-of-the-century cocktails, live music, and a buy-in cocktail mixoff. Delicious bites will be created by chefs Matt Spinner of Thirsty Bear and Larry Piaskowy of Cowgirl Creamery. Festive attire encouraged. $60 per person. (Ticket includes cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.) Burritt Room, Crescent Hotel, 417 Stockton St. at Sutter.

“Flash and Waltissimo’s Birthday Bash” After Party
11pm to closing
Come celebrate the birthdays of two forces of nature at once: Jonny “Flash” Raglin, co-owner of Comstock Saloon, and Walter “Waltissimo” Moore, co-founder of Encanto Pisco, in Barbary Coast style. Pisco will be flowing and mayhem is sure to ensue. Free admission; no-host bar. Comstock Saloon, Columbus Ave.

Friday September 24th
Second Annual Epic Happy Hour
5pm-8pm
Friday Sunshine along the Bay: the perfect way to start the weekend. This Second Annual Happy Hour at EPIC Roasthouse’s outdoor patio features tunes by DJ B Love, hearty hors d’oeuvres from executive chef Jan Birnbaum of EPIC Roasthouse, and culinary cocktails from such all-star bars as Rickhouse, Comstock Saloon, Cantina, Rye, DOSA Fillmore, and 15 Romolo. $45 per person. (Ticket includes cocktail tastes and hors d’oeuvres.) EPIC Roasthouse, 369 The Embarcadero at Folsom.

Saturday September 25th
Cocktail Carnival Gala
9pm-2am
The historic Old Mint is the perfect setting for San Francisco Cocktail Week’s Gala Event, a decadent Barbary Coast-Era Cocktail Carnival. Set to the backdrop of antique punch bowls, “carnival curiosities,” and the raucous horns of the renowned Brass Mafia, hosts The Bon Vivants are joined by bartenders from Smuggler’s Cove, Elixir, Cantina, 15 Romolo, and The Alembic, along with chefs Chris L’Hommedieu (Restaurant Michael Mina) and William Werner (Tell Tale Preserve Co.) in presenting a darkly entertaining, delicious, and memorable evening. “Whimsical” attire recommended. $95 per person. (Ticket includes punch, hors d’oeuvres, and dessert.) San Francisco’s Old Mint, Fifth St. at Mission.

Sunday September 26th
Hangar One Cocktail Cookout on the Island
2pm-6pm
The East Bay’s best bartenders are teaming up with Fatted Calf for a meaty, boozy, outdoor festival, pairing barbecue with ice-cold cocktails under the sun at the Hangar One distillery in Alameda. Ticket includes a round-trip ferryboat ride featuring Hangar One cocktails (designed and served by Scott Beattie of HMS Cocktails) from San Francisco’s Ferry Building and shuttle transportation to the Hangar One Distillery. $50 per person. (Ticket includes barbeque, cocktails, and round-trip transportation from SF Ferry Building.) St. George Spirits Distillery (AKA Hangar One), 2601 Monarch St. (on the former Naval Base), Alameda.

Monday September 27th
Chartreuse Karaoke Gong Show
9pm-2am
The grand finale of Cocktail Week is the legendary Chartreuse Karaoke Gong Show, where bartenders and civilians alike take to the stage and belt out their best in front of a panel of celebrity judges. Whether you’re good enough to finish your tune or “gonged” off the stage depends on your performance, enthusiasm, and stage presence. All Chartreuse cocktails are $6 for the night. $10 per person (donation to the Barbary Coast Conservancy of the American Cocktail); no-host bar. The Ambassador, 673 Geary St.

Attendees must be 21 years of age to participate in all San Francisco Cocktail Week events. Tickets and ID will be checked at the door. For tickets, additional information, and updates, please visit here. Advance purchase is recommended—many San Francisco Cocktail Week events sell out and there are often limited tickets available at the event.

Net proceeds from all San Francisco Cocktail Week events benefit the Barbary Coast Conservancy of the American Cocktail. Additional information about BCCAC may be found at sfcocktailweek.com. And be sure to try a Papa Ghirardelli, the official cocktail of San Francisco Cocktail Week.

It’s time to get down with the brown, when WhiskyFest returns to San Francisco for the fourth time on Friday October 8th. The event will feature more than 250 of the world’s finest, rarest, and most expensive single malt and blended Scotch, Irish, bourbon, American, Japanese, Canadian, and other whiskies from around the world to sample in one Grand Ballroom. High-end cognac, rum, beer, and other spirits will be represented as well. New to the lineup this year are Tuthilltown, Charbay, WhistlePig, Templeton, Koval Rough Stock’s Montana line, Craft Distillers, and Stranahan’s.

Seminars, featuring their own tastings, will also run throughout the evening. And just so you’re not getting completely blotto, there will be a buffet all evening, plus coffee, tea, water, and soda. Each attendee receives a commemorative Glencairn crystal whisky glass for tastings.